SEDUMS

TALL & short

Words and Photos by Jac Kyles Baker

Sedums:

Garden Marvels






Sedums.  Where do I begin?  I cherish sedums.  They're  friends.  More than friends if I want to be weird.  Friends with benefits?


I moved into a house where Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and Sedum 'Spectabile' were growing in the neglected garden.  I was unfamiliar.  After identifying them in a garden book, honestly, I was unenthusiastic.


Then…


I made one of many baby gardener mistakes.  I extended a border, didn't anchor it with plants and watched the bare soil erode with each rainfall.  I needed plants to keep soil in place.


But I had no plants.  And no money.  I remembered a conversation with my grandmother-in-law about sedums, "never die" as she called it.  "You can break it into pieces and make more plants," she said.


What?  Desperation is motivation.


I had one Sedum 'Autumn Joy' and one Sedum "Spectabile'.  I stripped both of all their leaves and cut the stems into as many pieces as possible.  I stuck all the leaves and stem cuttings in the soil the entire length of the border.


I got funny looks.  I questioned my sanity.  But I kept the faith.


Weeks later, every single cutting grew into a plant.  What sorcery was this?  Never die, indeed.


Why wasn't this written in bold in the plant reference?   It's a conspiracy.  Plant nurseries want to keep it out of the books.

In March/April, rosettes of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' grows in  front of daffodils as Sedum 'Acre'  covers ground.   To keep the 'Autumn Joy' erect in this border, I cut stems back by a third in May. 

Growing stems of 'Sedum Autumn Joy' in May.  This group is planted in a drier bed and stays erect  without cutting back.

The rosy pink shades of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' in June, July and August.  Imagine this abuzz with insects.  It happens July and August.  It's like a insect summer festival.

Gradually, Sedum 'Autumn Joy' flowers transform from pale pinks to darker pinks.  True to its name, the flowers are a joy in October.

Sedum 'Acre' and Sedum 'Album', both groundcovers, are even freakier.  Just throw the stems on the soil; they’ll begin forming roots.  No joke.  All they need is a hint of nearby soil.


Sedum 'Acre' is a good groundcover.  If it gets out of hand, as groundcovers do, it's easy to remove.  Just pull it up.  Sedum 'Acre' won't resist.

Blooming Sedum 'Acre' edges a garden bed filled with Sedum 'Autumn Joy'.

Sedum 'Acre' in the green before blooming.

An upclose view of Sedum 'Acre' flowers.

Sedum 'Acre' is an unfussy container plant.  No feeding, no watering.

Does your garden lack pollinators?   Sedum 'Autumn Joy' rescues the garden from pollinator poverty.


And not just one niche pollinating insect.  I'm talking nature documentary level of insect diversity.  That diversity includes black aphids and ants.  Watching the ants herd the aphids like shepherds is fascinating (and a little unsettling).  The plants didn't suffer from the ants' aphid husbandry.*

Sachem butterflies love sedum nectar.

A sedum flower is a good mattress for a resting Eastern carpenter bee.

A beetle in November isn't pollinating; it's hoovering aphids.

Praying mantes uses sedums as perch in this hunting ground.  Squint hard enough and you'll see the bee this praying mantis stalks.

The morning after: drunk from last evening's nectar a hungover bee slowly rouses.

Little sulfur (Eurema Lisa) butterfly is a frequent sedum visitor.

I think it's perdita fairy bee.   I'm not  sure.  I know this is Sedum 'Spectaile' in October.

Unlike some animal species, honey bees and carpenter bees peacefully share the sedum bounty.  No scarcity mindset here.

Deadheading dozens and dozens of sedums on a chilly autumn day.  Not a fun chore.  Adoration has limits.  Would I reduce their numbers?  Not a chance. I cut them for floral arrangements judiciously throughout the growing season.


Put them in vases (hose off the ants and aphids).  But keep it simple:  only sedum flowers in minimal water.  Succulent stems degrade into a putrid mess in water, shortening the life of mixed bouquets.  


Cut sedums don't need water.  But the flowers better retain their color if the bottom inch of the cut stems is in water.  Let the water evaporate.  Ta-da!  Dried flowers that smell like honey and hay.

A vase of Sedum 'Autumn Joy' November flowers is simple and elegant. 

Pink Sedum 'Autumn Joy' flowers cut in midsummer dry with other summer flowers and grasses in an upcycled rattan wine carrier.

I’m like proud parents who won’t shut up about their children.  I can’t stop praising sedums (‘Autumn Joy’ is my fave).  But there’s so much to praise.  


Sedums anchor a garden throughout the growing season.  Unlike evergreens, they provide seasonal interest.  Watch ‘Autumn Joy’ start as a green rosette in March and end as a sturdy dried flower in December.  Can boxwood do that?  No, it can’t.


If I can show you a couple more pictures...

Look at the crazy, long stamens on Sedum 'Spectabile'.  The leaves are more succulent and a delicacy for deer.  If hungry enough, deer will eat 'Autumn Joy'...but will devour 'Spectabile' like a bag of potato chips.  Plant them out of deer's reach.  Eerily, they grew back when I moved them to a protected area.

Sedum 'Spectabile' isn't as hardy as 'Autumn Joy' but still tougher than most plants.  Thus, I didn't grow them in masses.  I preferred to grow them as low maintenance container plants.  Ideally, in a place where the sunshine highlights the stamens.

Sedums were my garden's salvation. Drought tolerant, long blooming, and food for insects.  Excellent for cut and dried flowers.  Don't cut them back if you want something to look at during the winter.  You won't read this everywhere:  sedums are in the same family as broccoli.  And yes, I've made kakiage from the leaves. 


Friends with benefits.  


*One summer afternoon, flying insects covered the flowers:  honey bees, carpenter bees, moths, beetles, hoverflies, paper wasps, monarch butterflies, yellow swallowtail butterflies, black swallowtail butterflies, silverspot butterflies, checkerspot butterflies and painted lady butterflies--this list isn't exhaustive.  A sight to behold. I wish I had video.

 


Why Grow Sedums?


If you're a bog gardener, then I understand why you're not growing a sedum or two.  If you're a gardener who despises self sufficient plant life, then nothing I write will persuade you.  Cool.  I wish you both well.